The Colombian-born actress, 42, stood on a rotating platform during a 66th Primetime Emmy Awards speech given by Bruce Rosenblum, president of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, who explained with a wink: "We never forget that our success is based on always giving the viewer something compelling to watch."

Showcasing her comedic chops, the Roberto Cavalli-clad "Modern Family" star hammed it up on stage. While the audience roared with laughter, many bloggers were appalled to see her put on a pedestal.

"Do better, everyone," Jezebel wrote. "After all, you don't want to make Julianna Margulies a liar: she won Lead Actress in a Drama and immediately said, 'What a wonderful time for women on television.'" The website argued that Vergara "was treated like a literal object" and included several viewers' tweets.

Think Progress was similarly critical, writing, "I was distracted by the utterly tone-deaf, cringe-inducing spectacle that was the over-the-top objectification of a woman who is far, far funnier than the 'I'm not from this country, but look how hot I am!' material she's typically given."

Time, meanwhile, wrote, "Though the gimmick might have turned into a commentary on how Hollywood actresses are hypersexualized and objectified, the second beat of the joke never came."

Refinery29 took a similar stance, writing, "If watching this makes you uncomfortable, that's because it should. This portion of the presentation had one purpose--to use Vergara's stunning beauty and ethnicity as a hot object while the white guy did his bit. Perhaps this was a poor attempt at a joke. Or, perhaps you were waiting for Vergara to step down in the middle of his speech and give him a piece of her mind, because how dare he? You know, something more in line with the actress' M.O. Instead, we see her a willing participant in a clip that feels not from this decade--or from this century, for that matter."

Vergara, for her part, saw nothing wrong with the routine.

Asked whether the segment was demeaning, she told reporters, "I think it's absolutely the opposite. It means someone can be hot and also be funny and make fun of herself and enjoy and work and make money, so I absolutely think it's ridiculous. And somebody who started this, and I know who she was, has no sense of humor and should lighten up a little bit!" The star did not reveal the identity of the person she believes started the uproar.